Who are you when you teach? When asked this question, most of us immediately respond by describing our teaching approaches. We might say “I’m more of a facilitator now.” Or we might respond with something like “I am a learner-centered teacher” or “I’m more of a lab teacher than lecturer.” But consider this question in another way: What “teaching presence” or persona underlies what you do as a teacher?

            We construct a teaching persona that defines how we see ourselves as teachers and how we expect to be seen by students. The aim is to choose the features of our teaching persona so that on the whole it invites and enables as many learners as possible. To accomplish this, our teaching persona needs toring true to our larger personal identity. Not all teachers accomplish this goal—they create a teaching persona comprised of traits they think ought to be characteristics of good teachers and end up trying to become someone they are not.

            Constructing a teaching persona is challenging, and takes place over time and across experiences. Deciding which parts of “who I am” belong in the classroom raises challenging questions. What are the consequences of mynatural use of sarcasm in communicating encouragement or discouragement of learners? If a characteristic or trait doesn’t contribute to the learning environment, we need to ask what role it is filling.

            Let’s say humor is animportant part of who you are. You can make people laugh, and you enjoy doing so. Why not bring that humor into the classroom? Research has shown that although humor doesn’t cause learning, it creates conditions that are conducive to it. Humor helps students relax and see learning through something other than an onerous lens. But, of course, not all kinds of humor are appropriate in classrooms. Jokes that might get a great reaction out of friends and family in informal settings can be heard very differently by a class of students with varied backgrounds and histories.

            Perhaps you are a very nurturing person—someone who willingly reaches out to support and help others. Teachers who care do indeed help students to learn. But can you thrive? Can you sustain a teaching career if you extend yourself too often and too far and to too many students?

            Maybe you’re an open person—someone who is very comfortable talking about who you are, what you believe, your values, what you’ve experienced, and what you think about current issues. Being open with students allows them to connect with you as a person. You come across as a real human being—Can you be too open with students?

            For many teachers, the teaching persona develops more by happenstance than design. How we define ourselves as teachers can help us thrive, and to become a conduit for connecting learners and content. Who we are when we teach can, for some students, convey messages more enduring than the content we teach.

By: Maricar G. Juico